BTM101- Andrew Morton-Storytelling and Adaptability in Post-Military Life
Show Summary
On this episode of Behind the Mission, we feature a conversation with Army Veteran Andrew Morton, who currently serves as part of PsychArmor's Strategic Communications Team in the role of External Relations.
About Today’s Guest
Andrew Morton currently serves as part of PsychArmor’s Strategic Communications team in the role of External Relations. Andrew is retired Army Infantry Officer with a combined 30 years of service and experience within the military community and veteran employment and transition space. Since his transition from active-duty Andrew has spent much of the last decade focused on veterans’ employment and transition initiatives across various strategic roles at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). He has served on various boards and advisory commissions across the Department of Labor, Veterans Services Organizations, and the private sector focused on military community employment, retention, and inclusive work-place practices.
Andrew served in multiple leadership and communications roles during his twenty-one year Infantry and Public Affairs officer career to include Chief of Marketing and Advertising for the Army Reserve, and Chief of Pan-Arabic Media Outreach and Engagement as part of Multi-National Force-Iraq. He continued to serve in multiple communications roles during his time at SHRM building programs focused on breaking down barriers and building connections between the military and employer community.
As contributing author to the late Justin Constantine’s book From We Will to At Will- A Handbook for Veteran Hiring, Transitioning, and Thriving in the Workplace, Andrew and Constantine addressed the challenge of that cultural shift from the military community as well as the mutually-shared responsibility to close that gap in understanding through individual and organizational-level awareness.
Andrew’s first-person journey as soldier and military spouse has also instilled a passion for behavior and mental health initiatives. As part of this journey he is completing the final clinical portion of his Masters in Mental Health Counseling from the College of William and Mary serving as a therapist-intern within the Veterans Administration which he will complete in May of 2023.
Andrew lives in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia with his wife Emily, as well as his three children- and a myriad of animals.
PsychArmor Resource of the Week
This week’s PsychArmor resource of the week, is the PsychArmor course, Telling Your Story. A service member’s experience in the military is one that only they can tell and it's up to them how much they choose to share with others. In this course, four veterans share their personal stories and offer insight. You can find the link to this resource here: https://learn.psycharmor.org/courses/Telling-Your-Story
Links Mentioned In This Episode
Theme Music
Our theme music Don’t Kill the Messenger was written and performed by Navy Veteran Jerry Maniscalco, in cooperation with Operation Encore, a non profit committed to supporting singer/songwriter and musicians across the military and Veteran communities.
This Episode Sponsored By:
This episode is sponsored by PsychArmor, the premier education and learning ecosystem specializing in military culture content. PsychArmor offers an online e-learning laboratory with custom training options for organizations.
Producer and Host Duane France is a retired Army Noncommissioned Officer, combat veteran, and clinical mental health counselor for service members, veterans, and their families. You can find more about the work that he is doing at www.veteranmentalhealth.com
